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A long line of empty cabs wait for passengers outside Seoul Station in February 2023. (Yonhap)

The Korean police are on the case after more than 20 taxis were called to the home of President Yoon Suk-yeol under false pretenses early Monday morning.

The Yongsan Police Station said that over 20 taxis were trying to access the president’s residence, in the Hannam neighborhood of Seoul’s Yongsan District, for about two hours, beginning at 2:30 am Monday morning. Drivers who arrived at the president’s residence told the police they had just “followed the instructions” given by their navigation app based on the location of the client who had requested them.

But the phone number of the unidentified person who called the taxis is reportedly “out of service.”

The police believe that an individual set the president’s residence as their location on a ride-hailing app and then used the app to call multiple taxis to the residence. The police are currently investigating the case, which they believe amounts to the crime of interfering with business activities.

“We will also need to confirm whether the phone number is actually out of service or whether an automated answering service is being used,” a source with the police said.

By Koh Na-rin, staff reporter

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